We've Made a Decision

The Marine Corps organization that I'm a part of, I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), informed me that they required 45 days to process a request to renew my orders. My orders end on July 1st. That gave me a 90 day window from the time I arrived back in the States on February 15th to pursue other options. I feel like I did all that I reasonably could, without infringing on my current obligations to the Marine Corps or cutting into the liesure time with Sheryl and Joshua, to look for other opportunities. My non-negotiables were minimal: within a forty five minute commute from our house; enough of a salary to maintain our current quality of life; and a job that would use some of my skill sets while offering me at least some job satisfaction. I published my resume and military service summary on Monster.com via Military.com. I used all my network connections to pass the word that I was available. One job was particularly appealing, and though the employer is still interested in me, the contract could not be negotiated within the time window required.
Though I was fully committed to seeking employment in a profession other than the profession of arms for good reasons, two facts remain clear: I am responsible for the provision of my family's needs; I have reached terminal rank and have many more years of potential service in a career that uses my strengths, rewards application of effort, and affirms my potential. Because a three year commitment gives the Marine Corps TOO much latitude (orders which would require the dislocation of my family, for instance), I have limited my request for orders with the MEF to two years.
This two year period of service will almost guarantee another one year deployment, probably January 08 to January 09. There is little doubt in my chain of command's mind that the orders will be approved. Following this period of service, I will have 27 years of service, 14 of them Active. I'm feeling a little depressed--it is difficult to face another year away from Sheryl and Joshua. However, I am convinced, even more so than prior to my last deployment, that God can turn this into a blessing and bring glory and honor to His name through these circumstances.
Thanks for praying with us through this, for all your support, and your continued prayer in the future. It has made all the difference.

Semper Fi, JarHedJon

National Day of Prayer

On May 3rd I was priveledged with an invitation to speak at a church nearby regarding the impact of prayer during my deployment. Though it is rather lengthy, I'd like to give you all the opportunity to read as much of it as you'd like... (or not). Yours are the prayers that affected my life and my family's life to such a great extent!
"In October of 2005 I knew I would be deployed to Iraq for a one year tour. It was hard for my family and me to conceive of how this could be a blessing. We were afraid, for my safety and strength and endurance under what we knew would be a heavy workload; and for Sheryl and Joshua, for the hole that would be left in their lives while I was gone. However, we were not going into this situation alone. We have always been committed, as a family, to being a part of our community, both God’s Community in the world, the church, and the world community that surrounds us, political through physical. As a result, we had a large circle of acquaintances, friends, and companions at church who we considered brothers and sisters in Christ, and many folks with whom we were engaged outside the church as part of our understanding of God’s call for us to be in the world. We asked for prayer. I knew the deployment would be tougher on Sheryl and Joshua than on me: I was going to a new place, filling a crucial role, and fulfilling 25 years of expectations on the part of the Marine Corps, who had trained me, and on my part, as I’d never been in a combat zone; so I asked for special prayer support for my family. Through our small group and close friends at church, we were prayed for, encouraged, and cared for—even before I left in February 2006. Through our community associations, I was interviewed by the Orange County Register, and following their article that was published after I deployed, I was ‘adopted’ by the San Juan Capistrano Seniors and others who were able to follow through on their desire to support a service member from their home town due to the article. Many of these people, who I’d never met, were Christians who told me they were praying for me (as well as writing me letters of encouragement, etc.). So, even though we were generally pessimistic as to how being apart from my family for twelve months could in any way turn out to be a positive thing, we were aware from the beginning of God answering His promise to be with us in every circumstance.
Over the next 12 months, I was constantly aware of God’s presence. One very tangible way that I knew God was with me was His immediate response to my requests. Most important to my family and me was the need for daily communication, a commodity not afforded to the majority of the Marine forces in Iraq. My wife and I had established a way that we could keep all those interested in how my life was going and how to make my prayer requests known, and our first choice was to accomplish this by email. From the day I set foot on Camp Fallujah till the day I left, there were only 12 days where I could not send or receive email, and 9 of those days I was traveling to other bases. From these general type requests to all my specific requests, God answered prayer. Within five days of arriving in Iraq, I began to experience low-grade flu symptoms; I put the word out through Sheryl, and in less than 24 hours my symptoms evaporated—while others in my shop battled them for a week or more. Another instance was a tooth that started giving me trouble again after I deployed—I had some pain in the tooth before I deployed, but the dentist felt the problems were not severe enough as yet for a root canal. Come to find out the dental unit at Camp Fallujah could not do root canals, only a preparatory type procedure that would need dental maintenance every three months. One night shortly after arriving in Iraq the tooth gave me a little trouble as I was trying to fall asleep. I notified Sheryl right away, folks started praying, and the tooth did not bother me again the entire deployment (and is still not an issue). On November 20th, my hard drive crashed, potentially destroying over 8 months of necessary staff product. Again, I requested that people pray, and within three days the essential data was restored and I was back to business as normal. I asked for people to pray that God would give me fellowship and spiritual encouragement, and the Chaplain who was assigned as one of our unit chaplains for the year of my deployment was a Presbyterian pastor who became a friend and encourager and initiated a liturgical service for the duration of my deployment. This chaplain also started a band in which I participated as often as possible, which gave me a tremendous opportunity to relax, dispense with some of my stress, and engage with fellow service members outside of the “work” environment. In early November, two members of my unit were killed in combat over a three week period. This was discouraging to me, and again I asked Sheryl to pray. She did, and she also passed the word that I was discouraged and need prayer and care. Over the next 25 days, I received over 250 cards, notes, letters, and ‘telegrams’ encouraging me, wishing me well, and informing me that I was being prayed for.
I believe the prayers of God’s people also increased the support I received from folks outside my church community. The San Juan Seniors sent me many care packages. They sent Sheryl and Joshua a monthly gift, usually something like movie tickets, restaurant coupons, and some money to reduce the cost of a day at a theme park. The outpouring of generosity in the form of care packages (I received an average of one a week for the entire year I was in Iraq) was literally overwhelming. I received encouragement and home-made cookies and care packages and encouragement from three women’s prayer groups: one from a church in Tennessee, one from a church in upstate New York, and one from a church in Huntington Beach. Two different classes at Joshua’s school sent me encouraging letters, a Girl Scout Troop in a nearby city sent me artwork and letters in time for Thanksgiving, and a church Kid’s Club sent me encouraging notes and letters.
As a result of my deployment and the impact of prayer on my life, I am convinced of three things: I am convinced that a family commitment to a praying community provided the foundation from which God could bless us through the prayers of His people. We could not have made that commitment outside of His grace, and my desire is that God would be glorified because of His work on our behalf; I am further convinced that prayer became so meaningful to us because we asked for it. This acknowledges our acceptance that we cannot control our future; it acknowledges that God can; and it acknowledges that God’s people can partner with us in our lives through the gift of their prayers. I am also convinced that the prayers of God’s people made a greater impact on our lives because so many of the people who prayed for us told us of their intercession on our behalf. Without that knowledge, the realization that we were a part of a greater Body, that we were members of a team, would have been much more difficult to grasp.
There are two things the prayers of God’s people provided: PERSPECTIVE and HOPE. The prayers of God’s people and the knowledge I had of them impressed upon me the fact that I was not ultimately serving the Marine Corps, God was using me in His service. My community in Christ reminded me that God is sovereign--not a military organization or any earthly power. Once my perspective was squared away, there was room for hope. The futility and fear of trusting in random luck, personal strength, military might or political policy was dispelled by the knowledge that people were praying for me and God was with me. I was reminded that God is involved in everything that happens to me. The prayers of His people impressed upon me the fact that God Himself is implementing His plan in the world--and I am a part of it; and so is everyone who prayed for me. The power and effect of God's hand of protection on my life through intercessory prayers and the encouragement they provided were, and are, incalculable.To end the story, God blessed us richly. This does not mean that there were not times when we were discouraged, when we were afraid, nor does it mean that we do not still have to daily acknowledge our own lack of control of our lives and rest in God’s provision. Getting reacquainted with my family after being gone a year has not been easy for any of us. But God, in a personal way, was an encouragement and provided a blessing in each of our lives. He answered our prayers, despite our complete unworthiness of His attention. We are fortunate and blessed to receive His grace, mercy and blessing as a result of the prayers of His people. Thank you."

Semper Fi, JarHedJon